Case of V.Y.

V’s case brings to mind the dangers of DIY lawyering. His US citizen son thought that he was being helpful by volunteering to prepare his dad’s I-485 adjustment of status application. But because of mistakes in the initial application, USCIS rejected the application. It was then necessary to refile the corrected application. But by then, V accumulated unlawful presence in the US. Compounding the problem: V’s son did not submit an I-131 application for advance parole (authorization to travel). So when V’s sister unexpectedly passed away in his home country, V had to leave the US urgently. As a result, his adjustment of status application was abandoned and refused. V then contacted us, and we assisted him in consular processing at the US Embassy. We had to address issues of a potential misrepresentation in his previous entry to the United States and unlawful presence. After a brief visa interview, the consul issued the visa to him.